


Mind Games

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Series: Moving Targets [14]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Bart's enormous appetite, Coitus Interruptus, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, JLA - Freeform, Nightmares, Terrified Mia Dearden, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24237616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Just when you thing things can't get stranger, something will always come along to prove you wrong.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Mia Dearden, Oliver Queen & Mia Dearden, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan
Series: Moving Targets [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748179
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Watchtower, Metropolis -- February 24, 2011**

Oliver woke up slowly, his face buried in Chloe's hair, a slight smile touching his lips. His arm was draped around her waist and he shifted a little, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Then he lifted his hand, gently pushing aside the strap of her nightgown and kissing her there, as well, peeking over to see if she was awake.

Chloe stirred in her sleep and turned slightly toward him, "hm," she mumbled, a soft smile on her lips.

He smiled a little more, brushing her hair back away from her face and leaning down and kissing her neck, nuzzling her jaw line with his nose.

She shivered and smiled more too, but kept her eyes closed, "Ollie..."

Oliver kissed her there again, his tongue darting out to taste her skin, enjoying her shiver. "Hmm?"

"Hi," she whispered, grinning softly and finally opening her eyes. 

He grinned down at her. "Hi," he whispered back, dipping his head to kiss her lips.

Chloe looked up at him and smiled before returning the kiss lazily. 

Oliver shifted slightly, turning her so she was facing him, his hand trailing slowly down her body, teasing and caressing even as they kissed. "Morning," he murmured.

"Morning," she whispered, shivering again at his light touches. 

"Sleep okay?" he asked, brushing his nose against hers, his fingers skimming lightly along the bare skin of her shoulder blades.

"Mmhmm," she told him, pressing a kiss against his lips, "you?"

"Good," he answered, kissing her back without hesitation.

Chloe wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer as she returned the kiss.

Oliver threaded his fingers through her hair, kissing her deeply and then sliding his other arm around her waist tightly, flipping them so she was atop him. He grinned up at her, raising his eyebrows.

She laughed softly and shook her head, adjusting to the position and lowering her face so it was right above his, their noses touching again, "where do you find the energy?"

He smirked a little. "I happen to find you very motivating."

"Good answer," she grinned softly and kissed him once more.

"I try." He grinned back, sliding his hands up her back, dragging her nightgown up at the same time.

Chloe lifted her body enough so he could pull it off of her and smiled down at him, "one of the many reasons why I love you."

Oliver held her gaze for a long moment. "I love you, too," he whispered, leaning up and capturing her lips in another kiss.

She leaned down, pressing her body against his bare chest as she returned the kiss.

"Chloe?" A strong voice came from the bottom floor of the Watchtower.

Oliver jumped, startled by the voice, his eyes widening. He looked up at Chloe. "Is that--"

"Clark?" Chloe called back, turning her head away from Oliver and toward the stairs as she heard footsteps as the man made his way up.

Oliver quickly grabbed Chloe's shirt and handed it to her, sliding out from beneath her and blocking her from view so she could get dressed.

Chloe had barely managed to slide it on when she saw Clark making it to the top of the stairs, "you're back?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Clark demanded, eyes narrowing at Oliver.

"She was getting dressed," Oliver responded, narrowing his eyes right back. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came for her." Clark said, stepping closer and glancing at Chloe.

At that, he actually snorted. "You can turn right around and get the hell out. Go back to your ice castle or whatever."

Chloe was still sitting behind Oliver, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at Clark with wide eyes.

"I'm done," Clark told him, "I'm going to stay here with her, _you_ are going to leave."

Oliver raised his eyebrows at Clark. "I wouldn't bet on it."

"You don't belong here, Oliver, you never have," Clark told him, stepping closer, "you can't even protect yourself, how can you expect to protect her?"

His jaw tightened. "Says the guy who let Zod kill him and then abandoned her for the _second_ time."

"I was doing what I had to do," Clark said darkly, eyes narrowing, "I wouldn't expect you to understand it."

"You're right. I don't. I also don't care." He glared at Clark. "So get out."

"Not without her," Clark moved even closer, "c'mon, Chloe. I can protect you, you know that."

Oliver's jaw tightened. "You're going to want to stay back." He reached down to the nightstand and picked up the small box, opening it and revealing the green ring.

Clark's eyes widened and he gasped, bending over in pain as he wrapped his arms around himself, his knees giving in under him within seconds, "Chloe."

He shook his head a little. "She's not your _possession_ , Clark."

"Stop it!" Chloe said finally, getting up from the bed and walking over to Clark, trying to pull him away from the ring, "you're hurting him," her eyes were wide and glassy as she looked over at Oliver, "why are you doing this to him?"

Oliver looked at her in disbelief, closing the box. "Why is _he_ marching into here demanding I get out so he can 'protect' you?" He shook his head.

Clark took a deep breath and held on to Chloe's arm, trying to steady himself, "you've seen what he's capable of, Chlo. He's a murderer, you deserve better than that."

His eyes narrowed. "Lex isn't dead, Clark."

"That doesn't change the fact that you tried to kill him, Oliver," Clark said harshly, "and then you tried blaming someone else, what kind of hero can't take responsibility for his own actions?"

Chloe took a deep breath but remained quiet and by Clark's side, staring up at Oliver.

"Let's talk about _your_ actions, Clark," Oliver fired back. "How about the fact that you were more than happy to let your 'real family' take over the planet and get the rest of us killed because you couldn't man up and get rid of Zod yourself?" He shook his head, taking a step closer.

"I paid the price for my actions," Clark told him, "you don't deserve any of this, you don't deserve _her_."

"I'm not the one who abandoned her," he said harshly.

"Don't do this," Chloe pleaded quietly, looking from Oliver to Clark.

Clark narrowed his eyes at Oliver then looked down at Chloe, "I'm sorry, but there are things he has to hear."

"You know what, Clark? I'm tired of hearing lectures from someone who doesn't have the first clue about what it is to have actual responsibilities. You're not telling me anything I don't already know, so save your breath for someone else."

Clark sighed and shook his head, "no, you're too selfish to listen, just like you're too selfish to let her go when you know Lex will probably kill her to get to you."

"I'll never let that happen," Oliver said fiercely. "And I'm _not_ the only one Lex is after. Chloe, tell him about what we found in Germany."

Chloe looked from Oliver and back to Clark, opening her mouth to speak, her eyes wide, but she didn't get a chance to say anything.

"I already know," Clark told her, cutting her off then placing both hands over Chloe's shoulders, "that's one of the reasons why I'm back, I will take care of everything."

"Yeah, because you've done such a bang-up job of that in the past," Oliver said wryly, his chest tightening a little.

"I _will_ take care of everything," Clark repeated, more firmly this time, glancing at Oliver then down at Chloe, "but you have to come with me, so I can make sure you are safe."

"Chloe." Oliver looked from Clark to her, his eyes wide as he shook his head. "We're a team."

"I'm trying to keep her _safe_ , Oliver, how can you be so selfish? Do you _want_ her to get hurt?"

"Of _course_ I don't want her to get hurt, Clark! I would die for her!"

"You don't care about anyone but yourself," Clark said tightly, reaching down and picking Chloe up, "and you don't deserve her."

"You're _wrong_!" he said, stepping forward. "Put her down, now!"

Clark's eyes turned amber and he held Chloe to him, "don't try to find her, you won't be able to."

Chloe looked up at Clark then at Oliver, her eyes wide, but she didn't say a word.

Oliver opened the ring box once more, taking a step forward. "Put her down!"

Clark turned his eyes to the floor and gasped again, but managed to set the floor on fire. Chloe still in his arms as he started bending forward in pain once more.

"No!" Oliver quickly backed away with the ring, fear shooting through him as Clark stumbled toward the fire.

The distance was enough that Clark could walk away and he moved to stand up straight, "stay away," he warned once more before vanishing.

"Chloe!" Oliver's heart pounded heavily against his chest as they disappeared. "No!"

* * *

He sat up quickly, gasping for breath as sweat beaded his forehead. He rubbed a hand over his face and turned to look down to where Chloe lay, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Chloe shifted when she felt him moving and opened her eyes, frowning when she saw him sitting up, "Ollie? What's wrong?"

"You're here," he whispered, letting out a shuddering breath and swallowing hard.

"Where else would I be?" She asked, sitting up and moving closer to him, a hand on his back, "did you have a nightmare?"

He shifted slightly and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face against her neck, falling silent.

Chloe held him tightly, rubbing his back, "it's okay, Ollie, it was just a dream," she whispered soothingly.

"He took you from me," he whispered.

"I'm right here," she told him quietly, turning her face and kissing his temple, "who did?"

Oliver forced himself to take a deep breath. "Clark," he whispered. "He said I couldn't protect you from Lex."

"Clark isn't here," Chloe told him, rubbing his back gently.

"I know. He just...he showed up from out of nowhere." He rubbed a hand over his face.

"It was just a dream, Ollie," she told him again, "everything is okay."

"Right," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Chloe smiled a little and pulled back, looking up at him, "I'm not going anyway, I promise."

Oliver lifted a hand to her cheek, then shifted, kissing her urgently on the lips.

She returned the kiss, wrapping both her arms around him and pulling him close.

"I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," she told him, shifting and moving to sit on his lap so she could be even closer to him, "and I'm never leaving you, I promise."

Oliver slid his arms around her once more, kissing her again and slowly laying back on the sofa. "I'm never leaving you either," he whispered.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," she assured him, pulling back enough to look at him and smiling softly.

"There's a lot to worry about," he murmured. "Lex is out there somewhere, and he's trying to pick us off one by one."

Chloe cocked her head a little and nodded, "I know, but we're a team, remember? We will figure things out."

He relaxed at her words. "I know," he whispered.

She smiled a little and pressed her lips to his cheek then to his mouth again, kissing him slowly.

Oliver laid his head back down against the pillow, returning the slow, sensual kiss and sliding his hands down her back.

Chloe made a quiet noise then giggled a little against his lips, "wait."

He paused, looking up at her once more. "What is it?"

She bit down on her bottom lip and pulled away, moving to stand by the bed and holding her hand out to him, "I want to show you something."

His eyebrows furrowed a little and he took her hand, then rose to his feet. "All right..."

Chloe smiled at him then led him toward the stairs, squeezing his hand.

"So what is it that you have to show me?" he asked, squeezing her hand in return as they climbed the steps side-by-side.

"It's a surprise," she told him, pausing so she was a step above his and smiling brightly, then leaning down and kissing him.

He smiled back involuntarily, returning the kiss and looking up in time to see a figure on the top step right in front of them. "What the--"

"Such a pity to break the moment..." Lex said with a smirk, starting toward them.

Chloe gasped and pulled away from Ollie, turning around and looking up too. 

Before Oliver could react, Lex's fist slammed into his face and he tumbled backwards, down the stairs, and into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Basement, undisclosed location - February 24, 2011**

“Ollie,” Chloe whispered urgently, shaking him and willing him to wake up, “Ollie, please, I need you, _we_ need you,” she cried quietly. “Please wake up.”

He woke up slowly, his head pounding. He groaned a little, involuntarily. “Chloe?”

“Wake up,” she pleased again, “we need to get out of here.”

He opened his eyes and found her staring down at him. “What happened? Where the hell are we?” His eyebrows furrowed.

"Lex," Chloe whispered, looking down at him, "he got us and Mia and... AC," her voice broke and she looked in the direction of the man.

Oliver sat up slowly and turned to look in the direction she was. He inhaled sharply when he saw the other man in the corner of the room, unmoving. "AC?" He rose to his feet unsteadily.

"He's cold," she gasped quietly, closing her eyes.

"He's..." Oliver couldn't bring himself to move or say the words in his mind, his stomach clenching.

"We have to hurry," Chloe pleaded again, tears running down her face as she tugged on Oliver's hand, "Mia is unconscious, but she's alive, I'm not strong enough to carry her."

He rubbed a hand over his face, wincing at the pain in his jaw. Then he moved over to where Mia lay slumped on the floor. "How did he get her? Where are the others?" He carefully slid his arms beneath the girl, lifting her off the floor.

"I don't know," Chloe admitted, "I just woke up too."

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked, looking at her with worried eyes.

Chloe swallowed and pursed her lips together, "I'm okay, but we should go!"

He nodded, looking toward the stairs and pausing as it flew open abruptly. " _Shit_ ," he whispered, carefully laying Mia back down.

Chloe gasped and her eyes widened and she moved closer to Oliver.

Lex smirked slowly as he walked inside, followed by three men, "I was hoping you'd be awake..."

Oliver gently tugged her behind him. "Stay back," he ordered.

She placed her hands on Oliver's back and peered over his shoulder.

"Take the girls," Lex ordered his men, "tie them up."

He slammed his fist into the face of the first man to approach, taking him down easily. When the second one and third one came at him at the same time, he knew he was in trouble. His balance was off--he probably had a concussion from his fall down the stairs. So when one of them pulled the taser out, he pushed Chloe a little farther behind him. "Stay back!"

"Ollie, no!" Chloe cried when the man pressed his taser right against Ollie's stomach and the third one was already picking an unconscious Mia and attaching her arms to handcuffs that came down from the ceiling.

He barely managed to suppress a shout as the pain hit him, knocking him to the floor with its intensity, leaving him breathless.

Within seconds, the man who had tasered Ollie stepped over him and grabbed Chloe, tying her up on the handcuffs next to Mia's.

"You see, Oliver, there is no escaping from me..." Lex said, stepping closer and smirking slowly.

"Don't be so sure," he uttered, struggling to get up once more. "Let them go. This is between you and me."

"I agree, actually," Lex glanced at his men, "tie him up too," he barked before looking at Oliver once again, a pleasant smile on his face, "but it will make things a lot more enjoyable for me if they are present," he walked over to a small table and picked up a long knife.

"You stay the hell away from them." Oliver glared at the men that were approaching him. He kicked his right leg out, landing a blow to the groin of one of the men and watching in satisfaction as he hit the ground, writhing in pain.

Lex just sighed his annoyance and shook his head. "Hurry up," he told the man who was just finishing up with Chloe, once he was done, he held out his taser and hit Oliver on the leg this time.

"Son of a bitch," he whispered, hitting the ground hard once more. He lay his forehead against the concrete, every muscle in his body aching.

The man picked Oliver up and tied him too, on the opposite wall to the one the girls were, but he didn't tie him to the ceiling like they were, he shoved him to the ground so he was sitting against the wall, hands behind him tied on the handcuffs that were connected to the floor.

Oliver struggled uselessly against the cuffs, looking across the room to where Chloe and Mia were. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Chloe swallowed hard and shook her head, "it's not your fault," she told him, struggling to keep her tiptoes on the floor. 

He forced himself to take a deep breath, then looked at where Lex was standing. "All right. What do you want?" His voice was tense, tight. He was pretty sure there was nothing he wouldn't do at that point if it would keep Chloe and Mia safe.

"I already have what I want," Lex told Oliver, smiling then looking at his men, "leave," he told them and watched as all three made their way out of the door, he raised his knife and started toward Mia and Chloe, "you just have to watch."

Panic swelled up in his chest. "Yeah, what a big man you are, tying up a couple of women," he taunted. "Is it because you can't get them to stick around any other way?"

"Oliver," Lex shook his head and lifted the knife to brush Mia's hair from her face, "we both know women will stick around people like us, all the money, all the power, why do you think Chloe wanted you?"

"Because I'm hot and incredibly charming," he retorted, gritting his teeth as he struggled to get to his feet.

He ran his knife slowly over Mia's cheek, leaving a trail of blood then turned to Chloe, "we both know that's not true, don't we, Chloe?"

"Get the fuck away from them," he spat, yanking hard against the cuffs, ignoring the pain in his wrists.

Chloe didn't move, just stared from Oliver to Lex.

Lex smirked slowly and looked at Oliver over his shoulder, "careful, how could you possibly rescue them with both of your wrists broken?"

"I'm going to break your face," he returned, glaring at Lex.

He chuckled and shook his head, "this isn't about me, Oliver," Lex said smoothly, looking at Chloe again and running the tip of his knife over the nightgown she was wearing, ripping it open.

"Don't." Fear choked him. "Don't do this. Just let Chloe and Mia go and you can do whatever you want with me."

"But that's what you want, Oliver," Lex told him, smiling in satisfaction when Chloe whimpered as he pressed the tip of his knife to her stomach, "not what _I_ want."

"You're a sick, sadistic bastard. No wonder your mom killed herself," Oliver said harshly. "To get away from you."

"You think that's going to work, Oliver? You are desperate." Lex pushed the knife in a little harder.

Chloe gasped in pain and closed her eyes, her feet picking up from the floor as she did, which caused her to be suspended by her arms and she cried out in pain once more. 

"Stop!" He shouted. "Just stop!"

Lex chuckled and shook his head, turning to face Oliver again, "I haven't even started."

He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, willing this all to be some terrible nightmare that he was going to wake up from. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Lex picking up a belt.

"I have to tell you something, Chloe," Lex whispered, moving to stand behind her and pushing her nightgown down so she was only in her underwear, "you will not get out alive and you have no one but your boyfriend to thank for that."

Chloe shuddered and closed her eyes, but didn't say anything.

Oliver felt nauseous at the sight before him. "I'm so sorry, Chloe." His voice was strained.

"We will save this for Mia," Lex said, placing the belt on the floor then moving back to stand behind Chloe, knife on hand as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing the knife to her stomach before stabbing her deeply with it, "don't worry," he whispered against her ear, "I plan on letting you bleed out, so you'll have plenty of time to say goodbye."

Her pained scream echoed in his ears as tears dripped down his cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Watchtower, Metropolis - February 24, 2011**

“I don’t know,” Chloe said, her stomach turning as she paced the Watchtower, clicking on screens as she moved around the room, “I woke up and he was just _gone_ , he wouldn’t have left without leaving me a note, Victor, I know him.” 

“Okay, take a deep breath. I’m running through the security tapes now,” Victor told her, a worried frown on his face. 

She did take a deep breath unconsciously but moved the screens, “Bart, anything?”

“Not yet, Watchtower,” he told her as he ran across Metropolis.

“This is stupid! I should be there trying to help!” Mia cut in angrily. 

Chloe blinked and looked up at the screen, “we’ll find him, Mia.” She told the teenager even if she wasn’t sure of it herself. “I’ll call J’onn.” 

“What’s he going to do? Ollie is _missing_!” And she was more than a little freaked out by that.

“He might have heard something, he has more powers than the rest of the team combined,” Chloe told Mia even as she pressed J’onn’s speed dial number on her cellphone, her hands shaking slightly in anxiety. 

Mia raked a hand through her dark hair and began to pace the floor behind Victor. 

“J’onn,” Chloe breathed when he picked up, “we can’t find Ollie,” she listened for a second, “I don’t know, I was asleep, can’t have been more than five hours ago, okay-- thank you. Bye.” She blew out a breath and looked at the screen, “he’s looking into it.”

“We’ll find him,” Victor said, certainly, keeping his eyes focused on the security feed.

“What else can we be doing?” Mia asked anxiously, looking back at the screen to Chloe.

“Help Victor with the footage,” Chloe said, looking at Mia, then stopped, “actually, there is one more person I could call.”

“Who?” Victor asked curiously, glancing at her. 

“Tess,” she told him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Mia stared at her for a long moment, her heart beating quickly in her chest. “Call her.” 

Chloe nodded and took a deep breath going through the contacts on her phone for a moment then pressed call, holding her breath once more as she waited for the other woman to pick up.

A moment later, Tess’s voice was on the other end of the line. “Tess Mercer.” 

“Where is he?” Chloe demanded a second after she picked up the phone.

There was a long pause. “Where is _who_?” 

“Oliver,” Chloe demanded again, “he was taken, Tess and I know you and Lex are working together, where did he take him to?”

For a brief moment, her guard slipped. “Oliver’s missing?” 

“Enough with the games, Tess!” Chloe snapped, “he might fall for them, but I don’t, and if Lex hurts Oliver, you’re the one we’re coming for.”

“I have no idea where Oliver is,” Tess said evenly. “If he’s vanished or been taken, it wasn’t anything to do with me.” 

“Where is Lex?” Chloe managed to calm herself enough to lower her voice back to it’s normal volume.

Tess drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know.” 

“Find out,” Chloe told her, her jaw tight.

“I don’t contact him. He contacts me,” Tess informed her. “Now I have to go.” Without warning, Tess hung up on her.

Chloe closed her eyes and her jaw tightened even more as she hung up too, blowing out her breath before turning to look at the screens again and shaking her head.

“I think I have something,” Victor said suddenly, looking up. 

“What is it?” Chloe asked, her eyes widening instantly.

“There’s someone on the video feed. I’m sending it to you now. I don’t recognize him.” 

Nodding, she held her breath and watched as the video loaded on the screen.

Mia shook her head. “I don’t recognize him either. Chloe, do you know who he is?” 

Chloe watched the video in silence and her stomach dropped, “Maxwell Lord,” she breathed, her eyes widening, “he’s one of the heads of Checkmate, Black King,” she stepped closer to the screen, her eyes widening even more as she saw Maxwell walking right to their bed and touching both of their foreheads, “he must have knocked me out so I wouldn’t notice Oliver was gone, he has some kind of mind control ability.”

“Oh my God,” Mia whispered, her stomach tightening. She remembered when Checkmate had kidnapped him the first time. He’d been gone less than twenty-four hours, but it had been enough to terrify her. “Where would he take Ollie?” 

“I don’t know,” Chloe picked up her phone again, “the Checkmate headquarters has been destroyed, but if this is what we’re dealing with and not Lex, we might have better luck, J’onn has inside information on them,” and even as she talked, she was already dialing his number again.

Mia began to pace once more, chewing on her thumbnail as she walked. 

“Chloe? I was about to return your call,” J’onn answered. 

“What do you have?” She asked, holding her breath.

“We’re not dealing with Lex Luthor.” He paused. “We’re dealing with someone else.” 

“Maxwell Lord,” Chloe told him, “we have footage of him coming into the Watchtower, apparently he knocked both of us out.”

“I’m working on a lead, a place he may have taken Oliver. I’ll check it out and call you back,” he told her. 

“Thank you, J’onn.” She told him, letting out a breath, she knew J’onn had been working with Mrs. Kent when she was playing Red Queen and if it hadn’t been for a combined effort from him, Oliver and Clark, she would have gotten a bullet through her skull. 

“He has a lead,” she told Victor and Mia finally.

“Thank God,” Mia said, pausing in her pacing for a moment. “What’s the lead?”

Victor looked between them.

“He might have a location, he’s going to check it out now and will let us know when he gets there,” she told them, “this is good news,” she assured Mia, “it’s not Lex, we can deal with it.”

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, raking a hand through her dark hair. “Right. Not Lex. That’s good.” 

“We will get him back,” Chloe assured Mia, this time, with more confidence than before.

She nodded slightly. “Yeah. Of course. I mean, it’s Ollie.” 

Chloe smiled a little and nodded then started typing, “I’m updating Bart, he can help J’onn if needed, can you let Dinah and AC know, Vic?”

“On it, Watchtower,” he confirmed, picking up his phone. 

“What can I do?” Mia asked anxiously.

“We get to wait now,” Chloe told her, sighing deeply, “but J’onn can fly, so I’m sure it won’t be much longer before he gives us an update.”

“I hate waiting,” she mumbled, beginning to pace once more. 

“Me too, hopefully we won’t have to wait long this time,” Chloe told Mia and took a deep breath.

“How are you holding up?” Mia asked after a moment, glancing at the screen again.

Chloe blinked and raised her eyebrows in surprise at the question, even though she and Mia were getting along better, she didn’t expect the teenager to be concerned about her, especially not when Ollie was missing, “I’m... okay, worried, but a little more relieved now that we know it’s not Lex, what about you?”

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, then paused. “Okay, I’m freaked out. What do you think this guy is doing with Oliver?” 

“I don’t think he’s hurting him,” Chloe admitted and watched as Victor exited the room, “this guy likes to get in people’s brains and extract information but from what I understand, it’s hard for him to do it, so it takes time for him to find what he wants, which makes sense with the kidnapping.”

“So he’s trying to get information out of Oliver’s mind?” Mia stared at her. “That’s pretty bad, isn’t it? With what you guys do?” 

“It is,” Chloe agreed, “but J’onn can take care of that when we find Maxwell, he’s done it before, when Checkmate kidnapped me and Ollie and when they had found out about all of our identities.”

“Oh.” She frowned a little, rubbing the back of her neck. “So then we just need to find him.” 

“Yes,” Chloe checked on her phone then smiled a little at Mia, “and we will.”

Mia raked a hand through her hair again, her jaw tightening a little. “What’s taking so long?” 

At that moment, Chloe’s cell phone rang. 

She jumped a little and pulled it to her ear, her eyes going back to the screen to look at Mia as she did, “J’onn, what did you find?”

“I found him. He’s safe. I’m heading to Watchtower now.” 

Chloe let out a deep breath, “thank you J’onn,” she told him, looking up at Mia and smiling as she stepped closer to the monitor, quickly typing a message to let the others know, “he’s safe, J’onn is bringing him over.”

“Oh thank God.” Mia closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “I want to see him. When he gets back. Can you have Bart bring me there?” 

“Of course, go get whatever you need, I will have him run back there and pick you up,” Chloe told her, smiling softly as she sent the message, “he should be on his way,” she told Mia then paused as she felt a strong wind hitting, “they are here.”

“I’ll see you soon!” Mia fled the room. 

Chloe let out a breath and looked around, her eyes widening when she realized Oliver was unconscious, “is he hurt? I will call Emil,” she gasped, phone in hand as she walked over to the couch, where J’onn was carefully placing Oliver.

“He’s pretty out of it,” J’onn said quietly. “But physically he’s fine. Dr. Hamilton will be unable to help.” He looked at Chloe.

She nodded a little, letting out a breath and kneeling on the floor by the couch to brush Oliver’s hair from his face, “is it because of what Maxwell did to him? Can you fix it?” She asked hopefully, her eyes big as she turned to look at J’onn.

“I’m going to try,” he said quietly. He turned to Oliver once more, kneeling down beside the sofa beside her and placing a hand gently on Oliver’s forehead.

Pursing her lips together, Chloe pulled her hand away to gave J’onn space and took Oliver’s hand in hers, squeezing it hard, “c’mon, Ollie...”

J’onn’s eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated, grimacing slightly at the images he saw in Oliver’s mind. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. She held her breath and glanced up at J’onn then back at Oliver’s face, watching his expression closely.

After a moment, Oliver’s face seemed to relax, his breathing slowing down to a more normal pace. Chloe relaxed a little when Oliver seemed to and she took his other hand in hers too, squeezing both tightly.

“He’ll be all right,” J’onn said after another moment, a troubled expression on his face. 

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, her eyes widening as she tried to read the look on J’onn’s face.

“Maxwell Lord was attempting to get information about Tess Mercer’s whereabouts from his mind.” He paused. “But the way he went about it was...troublesome.” 

“Troublesome?” She echoed in a whisper.

He glanced at Chloe. “He made Oliver believe you and Mia were dead.” 

“Oh,” her chest tightened and she looked back at Oliver, squeezing his hands in hers, “we’re okay, Ollie,” she told him quietly, “we’re both okay.”

J’onn looked up just as Bart and Mia sped into the room. He offered them a gentle smile. “He’s resting, but he’ll be fine,” he told them. 

Bart blew out a breath and looked down at Oliver once he set Mia down, “good, he freaked us all out, man.”

J’onn nodded slightly, rising to his feet and moving over to Bart, extending his hand. “Good to see you again, Bart.” 

Bart smiled and shook J’onn’s hand, nodding, “good to see you too, dude, you should show up at the headquarters more, you know, we always have food.”

He smiled warmly. “Yes, I’ll have to do that. I’ve missed my family.” He looked at Mia and smiled at her, and then back at Chloe. 

Chloe smiled at J’onn and nodded, standing up too, but still holding one of Oliver’s hands in hers, “and we miss you, since most of us are in town, we should have dinner together once Ollie is okay.”

“Is he not okay?” There was a hint of panic in Mia’s voice, and she quickly looked between Chloe and J’onn. “You said he was okay!” 

“He’s okay,” Chloe assured Mia, stepping aside so she could see Ollie for herself, “he’s just unconscious, but he’s okay. I should have worded it better, I should have said once Ollie is awake.”

She forced herself to take a breath, then rubbed a hand over her face tiredly. “Right. Okay. Sorry.” 

J’onn looked at her sympathetically. “Let’s definitely have dinner once Oliver’s awake and feeling up to it. Just let me know.” He nodded slightly and headed for the door.

“You don’t have to leave, J’onn,” Chloe said quietly, “you’re welcome to stay.”

“I need to get back to work,” he explained with a small smile. “I’m on the clock.” 

“I’ll see you later, then?” She asked, nodding a little.

“Of course.” He nodded once, and vanished. 

Bart blinked and raised his eyebrows, “man, I have to race _him_ sometime...”

“He can fly,” Mia pointed out, moving over to the sofa to check on Ollie. 

“So? I can run faster than he can fly,” Bart said with a shrug, “man I’m starving, do you have food?” He asked Chloe. 

“We have a couple slices of pizza from last night, but I doubt that will be enough for you,” Chloe said, considering, then reluctantly let go of Ollie’s hand and walked over to her purse, “I have cash and you can go find food somewhere,” she told him, holding out the cash toward him, they always paid Bart in food after a mission, running really made him hungry.

“Bring me back something, too?” Mia asked hopefully.

“Yeah, definitely, chica,” he told her with a grin as he slid the money into his pocket, “see you soon,” he told them, winking before vanishing.

Mia smiled a little and watched him go, then turned her full attention back to Oliver. 

He woke suddenly, startled, opening his eyes to see Chloe and Mia both there. 

Chloe stepped closer to the couch again, her eyes wide, “Ollie?” She glanced at Mia then took his hand again, “it’s okay, we’re okay.” 

Mia’s eyebrows furrowed at her words. Of course they were okay. _He’d_ been the one kidnapped, not them. 

He sat up quickly, a dazed expression on his face. “I don’t...what happened?” 

Chloe squeezed his hand and moved to sit down next to him, “Maxwell Lord was playing with your mind, none of it was real, Ollie.”

“Maxwell Lord,” he echoed, his eyebrows furrowing. “The Checkmate guy? But it was Lex that...” He looked between them, then shook his head slightly, hugging Chloe tightly for a moment. Then he let her go and hugged Mia, too.

Her eyes widened a little and she hugged him back then blinked when he let go, smiling a little when he hugged Mia, “he was trying to get something out of your mind, he was messing with you to find his way around it.”

Mia hugged him back tightly. “Don’t ever do that again,” she warned. “Next time I’m kicking your ass.” 

He sighed softly, pulling back to look at her. “I’m all right,” he said quietly. He still saw the images in his mind from whatever Maxwell had done to him, but the emotional effect wasn’t there. He figured he had J’onn to thank for that one.

“How are you feeling?” Chloe asked, looking over at him carefully, “do you need anything?”

“I’m all right, Chloe,” he said softly, nodding at her and looking between them again. “I’m just glad you guys are, too.” He paused. “And AC? Is he all right?” 

She looked at him then pressed a kiss to his shoulder, taking his hand again, “he’s okay, he and Dinah are leaving for Star City soon. He misses the ocean. Why?”

“Just...needed to make sure.” 

Mia watched Chloe’s actions and then looked at Oliver, remaining quiet and nonchalant about the obvious displays of affection. 

Chloe felt Mia’s eyes on her and felt self-conscious, pulling away slightly but not letting go of Ollie’s hand, “everyone is okay.” She told him. 

“Thank God,” he whispered. “Where is Maxwell Lord now?” 

“I don’t know,” Chloe admitted, frowning a little, “but I assume J’onn took care of him.”

Oliver nodded a little, looking down at their hands and then reaching out to take Mia’s as well. 

Chloe watched Oliver then looked over at Mia, smiling a little at the teenager.

Mia drew in a breath and then relaxed a little, smiling hesitantly in return. 

Maybe things would be okay.


End file.
